Preview — Seducing the Prince
by Patricia Grasso

Seducing the Prince

Regina Bradford, the Countess of Langley, did not get her “happily ever after”. Her father, a wealthy business man, married her off to an impoverished earl to gain an aristocratic title for the family. Regina is miserable in her marriage to Charles, the Earl of Langley, who is cheating on her on with the blonde beauty, Princess Adele Kazanov. Regina is aShe longs to soar

Regina Bradford, the Countess of Langley, did not get her “happily ever after”. Her father, a wealthy business man, married her off to an impoverished earl to gain an aristocratic title for the family. Regina is miserable in her marriage to Charles, the Earl of Langley, who is cheating on her on with the blonde beauty, Princess Adele Kazanov. Regina is an aspiring author, and despite her husband’s cruelty to her and his disdain for her writing, she is determined to finish her manuscript. She has resolved to living the rest of her life in a loveless marriage and spends most of her time with her beloved infant son, Austen, her best friend Ginger, her loyal butler Pickles, and her protective Great Dane, Hamlet. But when Regina meets the darkly handsome Prince Viktor Kazanov at a garden party, she yearns for more than a writing career: she yearns for true love as well.

He longs for freedom

Prince Viktor Kazanov wants a divorce. He is fed up with his wife Adele’s adultery with the Earl of Langley, and her lack of love for their daughter, Sally. At the Duke of Inverary’s annual retreat at his country estate, Viktor meets Regina and is immediately drawn to her wit, intelligence, and her fiery red-headed beauty. He decides then and there that he will begin divorce proceedings and free himself and his daughter from his cold-hearted wife. But when Adele and Charles are found murdered, suspicion turns to both Viktor and Regina, and the authorities seek to arrest them for the deaths of their spouses. It’s a race against time as Regina and Viktor try to clear their names and avoid the hangman’s noose. But when the killer strikes again, will they be destined for tragedy instead of happiness?...more

4.5 stars. I will say the first hundred or so pages I honestly thought I was reading the wrong book, as it was just OK. Not bad, but not great. Then it picks up steam and doesn't let you go. The romance heats up to sizzling, the mystery was fun to follow and try to guess the bad guy (and I normally don't like mysteries!), but the real winner was the tongue-and-cheek humor throughout the book.

I loved how there was a book within a book too. It really added to my enjoyment of this book. I laughed 4.5 stars. I will say the first hundred or so pages I honestly thought I was reading the wrong book, as it was just OK. Not bad, but not great. Then it picks up steam and doesn't let you go. The romance heats up to sizzling, the mystery was fun to follow and try to guess the bad guy (and I normally don't like mysteries!), but the real winner was the tongue-and-cheek humor throughout the book.

I loved how there was a book within a book too. It really added to my enjoyment of this book. I laughed out loud several times! This book does veer away from historical accuracy, which normally bugs me but in this case it worked for me. The story is a comedy farce, not a deep emotional read, so it works. I will read more by this author. ...more

OKAY, I LOVED THE IDEA OF THIS STORY BUT IT WAS MAINLY BASED AROUND THE ON-GOING MURDERS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE PLOT. IT WAS MORE LIKE A THURSDAY NIGHT MURDER STORY KIND OF FEEL.

HERO is a Prince who has had enough with his wife's affairs. What struck me odd about the setting of this book was how neither of the characters main or side were prudent. I mean, from all the HR's that I have read, society doesn't talk about whose wife/husband is sleeping with who. Here, it was all out in the open andOKAY, I LOVED THE IDEA OF THIS STORY BUT IT WAS MAINLY BASED AROUND THE ON-GOING MURDERS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE PLOT. IT WAS MORE LIKE A THURSDAY NIGHT MURDER STORY KIND OF FEEL.

HERO is a Prince who has had enough with his wife's affairs. What struck me odd about the setting of this book was how neither of the characters main or side were prudent. I mean, from all the HR's that I have read, society doesn't talk about whose wife/husband is sleeping with who. Here, it was all out in the open and the MCs were even brave enough to say it right in their spouses face or anyone within hearing shot. That part just didn't feel right, didn't feel like a normal HR. Anyway, while Viktor was pretty much a take-charge kind of guy, his character fell flat for me. What else is there to him really? Apart from him wooing Regina, what else is there to his character? Yes, he loves his daughter and is a capable 'businessman' in some ways and he's good in bed. What else? What else?

HEROINE is a virgin. That makes me delirious because her husband is a sorry excuse of a cock. She's pretty open about the fact that Charles is fucking some other man's wife, thank God! She married Charles to win her father's love, and he got her father's money. It was a win-win situation at least for Charles and her father. But not for Regina. She's a blue-stocking who wants to publish her own book, she's honest with her words, witty at times and quick to rebuttal. I do enjoy the moments she verbally skewered the hateful women of the ton, but those moments were quite out of the historial romance setting. It was too forward. Regina's never had any contact with other gentlemen, at least romantically so it was expected that she falls hard & easily for a smooth man like Viktor. I hate to say it but the way she fell so fast in love, had me cringing. It was too easy.

OVERALL this was just okay. I don't know what the hype was all about for this. The characters were pretty stereotypical and the plot was average. There was nothing here that leaves you wanting more. ...more

4.5 starsRegina Bradford, the Countess of Langley, did not get her “happily ever after”. Her father Reginald Smith, a wealthy business man, married her off to an impoverished earl to gain an aristocratic title for the family. Regina is miserable in her marriage to ‘Chuck’ Charles, the Earl of Langley, who is cheating on her on with the blonde beauty, Princess Adele Kazanov. Regina is an aspiring author, and despite her husband’s cruelty to her and his disdain for her writing, she is determined t4.5 starsRegina Bradford, the Countess of Langley, did not get her “happily ever after”. Her father Reginald Smith, a wealthy business man, married her off to an impoverished earl to gain an aristocratic title for the family. Regina is miserable in her marriage to ‘Chuck’ Charles, the Earl of Langley, who is cheating on her on with the blonde beauty, Princess Adele Kazanov. Regina is an aspiring author, and despite her husband’s cruelty to her and his disdain for her writing, she is determined to finish her manuscript. She & her best friend Ginger Evans have an escape fund, using Ginger’s mathematical prowess the pair have investments & go by the name Mr Evans Smith. Reggie has her loyal butler Pickles, and her protective Great Dane, Hamlet who are definitely ‘in her corner’. Regina meets the darkly handsome Prince Viktor Kazanov at the Duke of Inverary’s house party, & the attraction between the pair is apparent from their first meeting.Prince Viktor Kazanov wants a divorce. He is fed up with his wife Adele’s adultery with the Earl of Langley, and her lack of love for their daughter, Sally. At the Duke of Inverary’s house party, Viktor meets Regina and is immediately drawn to her wit, intelligence, and her fiery red-headed beauty. He decides then and there that he will begin divorce proceedings and free himself and his daughter from his cold-hearted wife. Then Adele and Charles are found murdered, suspicion turns to both Viktor and Regina, and the authorities seek to arrest them for the deaths of their spouses. Then there are more murders & the law turns it’s eye on Regina although Runner Amadeus Black thinks her innocent, he also thinks Ginger is amazing.

I’ve read other books by the author & thoroughly enjoyed them so I was a little disappointed when I started this book as it seemed very slow & not going anywhere for the first quarter. I think if I’d come to the book with no prior knowledge of the author I might have struggled, however I’m glad I did as the pace picked up & I was then engrossed. So persevere the house party is setting the scene for the rest of the book. Viktor & Reggie are immediately attracted to each other & he actually sees her as a lovely, intelligent woman & is great for her self esteem. They are both likeable as are the other characters. Both Reggie & Ginger are strong characters no simpering misses but intelligent strong women. The book is a mystery murder as well as an historical romance, there’s also more than one romance. An enjoyable read & I look forward to reading more from the author

This book was such a pleasant surprise with love, mystery, strong characters, and a fairy tale all rolled into one. There are more than one romance going on in the story and the two female main characters are very head strong and hold excellent dynamic with the males in the story. You get background on other characters and you just can't stop reading the story as it unfolds. There are happy moments, sad moments and excitement. The writing is strong and very well written. This was my first time rThis book was such a pleasant surprise with love, mystery, strong characters, and a fairy tale all rolled into one. There are more than one romance going on in the story and the two female main characters are very head strong and hold excellent dynamic with the males in the story. You get background on other characters and you just can't stop reading the story as it unfolds. There are happy moments, sad moments and excitement. The writing is strong and very well written. This was my first time reading this author and I will look forward to more from her. ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.I loved Viktor's easy way.... Like he fell in love so fast and had no problem saying, I'm going to marry her. I love the golfing, lol. I loved that Samantha taught her how to use Last Resorts. I loved pickles :) These majordomos are so cute in the books. Ginger's side story with Amadeus was kind of cute too. I liked how spirited and direct the girls were. I REALLY liked the entire book. Totally recommended.

My first brush with the romance genre happened in my high school junior year. I discovered Gone With the Wind and hid it behind my American history book to read during class. (The Civil War is American history.) The ambiguous ending left me dissatisfied, though. Rhett and Scarlet needed a happily-ever-after. Believing in happily-ever-aftersI'm a dog person. Who lives with 10 cats. Get the picture?

My first brush with the romance genre happened in my high school junior year. I discovered Gone With the Wind and hid it behind my American history book to read during class. (The Civil War is American history.) The ambiguous ending left me dissatisfied, though. Rhett and Scarlet needed a happily-ever-after. Believing in happily-ever-afters positively screams romantic-at-heart.

On the other hand, I love murder and mayhem as much as happily-ever-after. My usual television fare is fiction and nonfiction crime shows, not love stories. Which accounts for the mysteries I sneaked into my historical romances. Now I'm trying my hand at writing a humorous mystery, sans historical and sans emphasis on the love interest. I even prepared for my mystery-in-progress by attending the local NRA's Pistol School. Shooting pistols is great fun. I adore the .22 semiautomatics.

After graduating from high school without distinction, I earned both Bachelor and Master degrees at a state college. Again, without distinction. I held several part-time jobs during my college days: file clerk in an insurance company, long-distance telephone operator, kimono-wearing waitress in a Japanese restaurant.

And then I began my teaching career, eighteen years in the eighth grade and thirteen years at the high school. Weary with the same old routine, I decided I needed a creative outlet. So I decided to write a romance novel but only managed to talk about writing one. After five years of listening to me, a friend said to stop talking and start writing.

So I did.

I made every mistake known to man. Blunder would be a more appropriate word, but I did learn using the trial and error method. As well as studying the works of authors I admired.

After five years of writing for nothing but love, I sold my first novel. Since then, I've sold eighteen novels and won several awards--- National Readers' Choice Award New England Readers' Choice Award, Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice and KISS Awards, B. Dalton and Bookrak Awards for best-selling author. My novels have been translated into fifteen languages and sold in twenty countries.

If I had my life over, would I become a writer? Nope. I would enjoy being a Victoria Secret model. Perhaps in my next incarnation I won't be too old, too short, or too unphotogenic....more

“Look there.” Regina pointed toward the northern sky. “Polaris.”Viktor looked up. “The constant north star, one of man’s most dependable guides.”“Polaris will be waiting for us there when we are old and have experienced a lifetime of joys and regrets,” Regina said, a wistful note in her voice. “That fact makes me feel like one of God’s most insignificant creatures.”
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“Viktor looked at the older man’s nightshirt, robe, and nightcap. His lips quirked into a smile. “The hour is late, and the household sleeps. How is it that you are still awake?”“I knew you would be knocking on the door sooner or later.” Pickles looked down his long nose at him. “You have passed the previous six nights with Her Ladyship.”“You are observant, my good man.”“No, Your Highness, I am the one who locks the door at night.” Pickles reached into his robe’s pocket and produced a key. He passed it to the prince, saying, “After tonight, let yourself into thehouse.”Viktor grinned at the majordomo and lifted the key out of his hand. “Your trust honors me.”“You are unlikely to abscond with the silver,” Pickles drawled.”
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